Martin Luther's 95 Theses

Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses against the contemporary practice of the church with respect to indulgences and sent them to Archbishop Albert of Brandenburg. The Theses are framed as propositions to be argued in an academic debate rather than necessarily representing Luther's opinions. The Theses were copied and distributed soon after Luther sent them to Archbishop Albert, and the Latin text was printed as a pamphlet in Basel and as placards in Leipzig and Nuremberg. The Theses are retrospectively considered to have launched the Protestant Reformation and the birth of Protestantism, despite various quasi- or proto-Protestant groups having existed previously.